Hmm, now it should be called the Black Dog Heart Gouge.

But the color is also wrong.

To say a Dalmatian Heart Gouge, the breed is different again... and it seems I haven't gouged yet.

But no matter what, this time the Husky finally didn't reach an understanding with the criminals. With a sudden Black Dog Heart Gouge, its sharp claws instantly sliced one of the leading hyena's eyes.

It's the only one that can talk. Who else would I hit if not it!

Immediately afterward, Huai Shi, struggling to stay upright, hit the ground. He opened his mouth but failed to bite the leader's neck, as the creature dodged quickly. Then, the surrounding hyenas pounced on him.

Huai Shi propped himself up on his front legs and swished his behind, using a move he learned from Brother White Horse: Overturning the Buttocks.

After being kicked countless times, he had deeply researched this move. It was just a pity he had no horseshoes; he only managed to send one hyena flying.

Then, another two leaped up. One bit Huai Shi's butt, and the other latched onto his tail.

"Fuck!"

Huai Shi cried out in pain. Not far ahead, he heard the leader's angry roar, "Bastard, you're dead meat! I'm going to eat you alive!"

"Are you a dog!"

Huai Shi bore the pain and sneered coldly. Then he immediately realized, Oh, you are...

Then, he remembered again... Hmm, so am I.

Using my mouth is still the most convenient!

He suddenly shook his behind, ignoring the hyena hanging from his tail. He leaped into the air and, with his mouth wide open, fiercely bit down on the hyena running towards him.

His teeth clamped shut. CRUNCH.

Huai Shi violently shook his head, swinging the hyena he was biting chaotically, then fiercely flung it into the water. A splash of blood rose from the icy river.

As for Huai Shi, he ignored the other hyenas entangling him and charged straight at the leader. His hind legs pushed off. Disregarding the fact that he had turned into a dog, he forcibly performed the Yu Step.

The leading hyena saw Huai Shi charging over and was about to sneer, but then it heard a loud BANG amidst the disturbed water splashes.

It was like someone was dynamiting fish.

A Husky with bared fangs and claws stirred up a sky full of icy rain as it lunged at him, crashing into his face in an instant.

Dog Escape Secret Technique - Iron Head!

The Husky's head, hard as a hammer, smashed with the weight of fifty pounds onto the hyena's face, making the leader's vision go black.

Huai Shi felt one of his leg bones break. The Yu Step itself is built on the premise of an absolute understanding of one's own body for an explosive burst of force.

Now, recklessly using a dog's leg, Huai Shi still exerted force in the old way, nearly crippling himself. The pain made him see stars. He didn't care about anything else, nor about the hyenas biting him; he suddenly opened his mouth, fiercely biting the leading hyena's throat and shaking it violently.

After all, the primary method of attack for canines was their teeth. The most they did—pounce, tear, and takedown—was all learned from tigers.

Now Huai Shi used all his strength to bite the lead hyena. It couldn't even let out a scream, struggling frantically, trying to claw at Huai Shi's face and eyes, until it had no strength left from Huai Shi's violent shaking.

Huai Shi forcefully sucked its blood, ignoring the hyenas biting his stomach and body. He was determined that if he were going to die, he would take his enemy with him.

A few seconds later, with a crisp SNAP, the hyena's neck dislocated. Huai Shi flung it onto the ground, then with another bite, ripped open its stomach, pulled out the innards, and finished it off on the spot.

Yet, to Huai Shi's astonishment, after it died, it actually vanished into a beam of light.

The other hyenas, as if they had lost their courage, scattered in all directions, disregarding the severely injured Huai Shi. Lying on the ground, Huai Shi saw that ray of light fly towards him and burrow into his body.

In front of his eyes, a tiny progress bar appeared and was instantly filled.

Level 2!

Leveled up!

His severe injuries disappeared in an instant, and he regained his original healthy state. He felt even stronger than before, his muscles and bones sturdier.

And more importantly... had he just gained a Skill Point?

Incredible, had some kind of game system emerged?

As a Level Two Husky, Huai Shi stood still, completely at a loss about how to use this thing that seemed to be a Skill Point.

Apart from the experience bar, there wasn't even a system panel for him to allocate points...

"System, activate!" Huai Shi tentatively shouted.

No response.

"Open the Skills panel!"

Still no response.

"Deep Blue!"

Yet again, no response...

Where the heck should the points be added?

Huai Shi was utterly baffled.

Moreover, I'm a dog now. If I really could add points, I might as well wish for thicker skin that could withstand more bites... And then he saw the Skill Point disappear.

And he suddenly felt... an itchiness in his skin?

Yes, an unbearable itchiness. He rolled around on the ground, found a Stone to rub against, and after scraping off a heap of stone chips, he discovered the skin beneath his fur had turned from tender red to a clear gray, much like cowhide, becoming tougher.

Was this how the Skill Point was used?

Huai Shi half-understood after pondering for a while. Is this the method of exploration on this Witch's Night? Strive through PVE or PVP, level up to gain points, then strengthen oneself.

And ultimately become the bravest dog in all the world?

For what purpose!

After standing there dazed for a while, Huai Shi shivered. He felt he could hardly endure the wind cascading down from the snowy mountain. No matter what, this isn't a place to stay. He thought for a moment and began to walk down the mountain.

Below the mountain was a verdant plain, with bushes, forests, and rivers faintly visible in the distance.

For a dog, it's a relatively easier place to hunt.

Huai Shi found a tree hollow that could shelter him from the wind and rain, drove away a nest of mountain cats that were inside, and took over the place. After tidying up a bit, he finally noticed something else was off.

Time.

Is time passing too fast or too slow?

He didn't know; it seemed he had lost his sense of time.

A night should only be eight hours long, and by now at least five should have passed for me. But thinking back carefully, it seems like only five or six minutes have gone by since I came down from the mountain.

Something isn't right.

Here, time seems to be deliberately stretched or shortened.

It can't be measured by the outside world's standards.

Does that mean I'll have to stay here for a long time?

After pondering for a moment, Huai Shi decided to take action. Time to go slaughter some small animals!

After spending an entire afternoon biting to death many rabbits, wildcats, and various other creatures, his Level Two experience bar was almost full.

Soon, he discovered another benefit. It seemed he didn't have to force himself to eat raw meat here.

Since he felt no hunger, it was as if killing them counted as eating. Once Huai Shi lost his aversion to consuming raw food, he became even more relaxed.

Bloody meat, how hard it is to swallow.

As darkness fell, Huai Shi returned to the nest of leaves he had gathered during the day. Just as he was getting ready to indulge in a long sleep, he heard a subtle and secretive sound coming from afar.

It seems like something is silently approaching me.

The RUSTLE of bushes being parted reached him. Huai Shi lifted his eyes from the tree hole to look in that direction, then instinctively held his breath.

Under the faint Moonlight, he saw a robust and massive tiger walking towards him, its face covered in blood, its eyes cold and frighteningly fierce.

He froze for a moment, instinctively wanting to flee.

Are you kidding me? How could I fight it?

I can't beat it, no way.

Just because I'm a Level Two dog doesn't mean I'm not a dog anymore, right? Thinking of fighting a tiger? I must be out of my mind.

But then, he realized he had no way to escape. The tiger was coming straight towards him... as if it had known where he was all along.

Drawing closer with every step.

Another Explorer?

Huai Shi narrowed his eyes, slowly pushing himself up in the tree hole and baring his sharp Teeth. Since I can't escape, I might as well try to give it a good fight.

As the tiger finally neared the edge of the tree hole, Huai Shi leaped out of the den with all his might, baring his sharp Teeth and suddenly pouncing forward.

The sound of a familiar scream erupted.

As the Husky made its forceful leap, the tiger disappeared.

It dissipated like mist.

In its place was something that looked like a large pinecone curled up on the ground, still shrieking in panic and yelling out loud.

"AHHH, HUAI SHI, DON'T EAT ME!!!"

Huai Shi froze on the spot.

What the heck is happening?

What is this thing?

And it even recognizes me.

Soon, he realized, disbelief mounting. "Fu Yi? How is it you?"

"...It's me."

On the ground, the little curled-up hedgehog looked up at him with panic-stricken eyes, finally relaxed, and collapsed, on the verge of tears.

"Ah, I was so scared... I thought I was going to be eaten... This place is so dangerous!"

"Come inside first..."

Huai Shi looked around to see if any nocturnal creatures had been startled, then let Fu Yi into the tree hole.

「Ten minutes later.」

He stared blankly, in disbelief, at the little hedgehog in his nest munching on wild fruits.

"So, you accidentally used your Mother's invitation to come here?"

"Mhm."

"How careless can your Mother be!"

Huai Shi covered his doggy head in despair. "Fu Yi, do you understand that if you fail here, your consciousness will shatter? I have a Soul, so at worst I'll get hurt, but if you're forced out, you'll immediately become a vegetable!"

"Ah?"

Fu Yi asked incredulously, "Is it that dangerous?"

"...Forget it." Huai Shi sighed. "Don't wander off. Stay with me. I should be able to protect you no matter what. Worst case, we'll just survive until the Witch's Night ends."

"Oh…" The little hedgehog nodded, seemingly understanding.

"Wait, how did you know it was me?" Huai Shi finally realized and asked blankly. "I didn't even know I'd turned into a dog."

"Huh?"

Fu Yi looked puzzled. "Your name is floating above your head, visible from a distance. Huh? Wait a minute, oh, it's this plugin... My map system can display the names of Explorers. Let me check your profile... It shows you're Huai Shi, species Canidae, and your Level is 2... Don't you have it?"

A giant question mark seemed to materialize above Huai Shi's head, nearly piercing the sky.

Why don't I have such cool features!

"And that tiger just now..."

"Oh, that was my Skill. You don't have it?" Fu Yi asked, clueless.

"..." Huai Shi was silent for a long time before asking dryly, "Apart from that, what other functions do you have?"

"Let me see... Oh dear, these Scholars' data are so complicated. There are a lot of parameters and displays I totally don't understand. If I hadn't spent half a month working on the Sea with my Mother's instruments, I wouldn't even know how to use this interface..."

Fu Yi's little paws waved in the air. "A Telescope, a map feature that automatically displays nearby Explorers, something that shows people's levels... There's a 'Golden Relics' that's already bound to me, a storage space of about ten square meters, a small shield, a Teleporter, and... huh? Who said you can't quit? Isn't there a safe exit button here?"

"..."

In the dead silence, Fu Yi looked up, puzzled, only to see the strange expression on the Husky sitting in front of her. Unbeknownst to her, he seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Noticing Fu Yi's gaze, Huai Shi pounced on her. Disregarding her spikes, he hugged her tightly and cried out loudly,

"I really need a carry, Dad!"

"Please carry me!!!"

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